Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Apply steady, penetrating finger pressure to each of the following points for 3 minutes.

1. Begin with 'Appetite Control' ear point. This appetite control point can help you avoid overeating. Begin your acupressure session stimulating this point. We suggest that you end your session by stimulating these point again.Appetite control point is located in your ear. While looking in a mirror, place your fingers on your jaw, in front of your ears. Open and close your mouth a few times until you feel your jaw bone moving underneath your fingers. Put one finger where you feel the most movement of the jaw. Your finger should be right next to a little fleshy protrusion of the ear (not the ear lobe). Grab this part of the ear with your thumb and index finger and press with steady pressure.2. Spleen 6 (Sp 6) has a strengthening effect on the digestive system.

This point is located on the inside portion of your leg, above the ankle bone. From the center of the ankle bone, slide up four finger widths. The point is just off the bone, toward the back of the leg. When you find it, press with your thumb or knuckle. Increase pressure until you are pressing quite firmly, hold about a minute, and gradually release.

Caution: Do not press this point if you are pregnant.

3. Stomach 36 (St 36) is the best point to nourish the chi and blood. It has a beneficial effect on the digestive system.

St 36 is located four finger widths below the lower border of the kneecap and one finger width off the shin bone to the outside. You've found the point correctly if you feel the muscle move under your fingers when you flex your foot up and down. Using moderate to firm pressure, hold for about one minute.

4. Spleen 9 (Sp 9) This point is a close neighbor of St 36. After pressing St 36, slide your finger across the shinbone until you are just off the shinbone on the inside side of the leg. Now slide your finger upwards along the shinbone towards the knee about an inch, until you fall into a natural depression. Sp 9 is in this depression, right below a rounded prominence in the top of the leg bone (tibia). This point is involved with the regulation of water metabolism in the body.

5. Stomach 40 (St 40) An important point for clearing excess damp and phlegm. It is also useful for eliminating excess weight.

St 40 is located

6. Large Intestine 11 (Li 11) is useful for clearing excess heat and damp from the body and to regulate intestinal activity.

Li 11 is located at the outer end of your elbow crease on the thumb side. Hold your arm in front of your chest, as if holding a cup in your hand. The point is at the outside end of the crease on your arm at the elbow joint. Another way to find it is to note the length of your thumb from the tip to the first joint, then move this distance up from the outside tip of the elbow bone toward the crease lines at the elbow joint. Hold your left hand close to your chest and use firm pressure with your right thumb; press for about a minute, then switch arms.

7. Liver 3 (Lv 3) prevents chii stagnation in the body and is the most important point for combating stress.

Lv 3 is situated on top of your foot in the webbing between your big toe and second toe. Start at the web margin of skin between the two toes, and slide your index finger up between the bones until you feel a depression about 1/2 inch up. Still using your index finger, press between the bones (in the direction of the root of the second toe). Start with light pressure, as this point can be sensitive, and increase as much as you can until you are using moderate to firm pressure. Press for about 1 minute.

The following two steps (8 and 9) are optional.

8. Four Gates relaxes the nervous system.

9. Neck and Shoulder Release will help to relax and calm you as you make the transition to a new dietary and exercise regime.

10. End your Acupressure session by again stimulating the appetite control point on both ears.